South to Jamaica

 While in Georgetown we anchored off Stocking Island where we visited a local resort.This view from their bar

 

 

 View of a sheltered hurricane hole for shallow draft vessels

 

 

 The Atlantic coast of the island

 

 Princess on the beach.  It was much windier than it looks.

 

 We decided not to wait for more favourable winds and set sail into 20-25 kts.

We were hard on the wind in rough conditions for a few days.

 

 Anchored on the bank at Acklins Island. We felt our way in thru the coral heads.

 

 From there we continued into the wind until past Great Iguana Is when we were able to ease sheets and had a fantastic sail down to the Windward Passage between Cuba and Haiti.  It was rough but we flew, best log speed seen 11.5 kts.

The net effect of all the windward sailing was a defective hydraulic steering ram which blew its seals and lost fluid.

So our plans to visit Cuba were cancelled and we sailed down to Port Antonio in Jamaica.

Here is the marina building.

 

 JT on arrival.

 

 The town is somewhat 2nd-3rd worldish, but we are enjoying it nevertheless.

The island is beautiful with high mountains covered in jungle and pretty coastline.

 Apparently Errol was here for a time.

 

 The offending bit of gear before being taken by taxi across the island to Kingston where we hope it can be repaired. Fingers crossed.

 

 We are anchored in a lovely harbour near the marina.

 

 Market place butcher shop

 

 JT at anchor seen from the marina bar. The cannon is fake.

 

Local "eatery".

 Downtown Port Antonio

 

 Fresh crayfish bartered from a local fisherman.

 

Xmas preparations.

We wish everone a happy and safe festive season.



Downhill Progress

From Hampton Virginia we have covered a lot of ground and are now in Georgetown central Bahamas.

A reminder for anyone interested in checking our exact location, just enter into your search engine: jacktars web diary.

That should show the latest position we have logged via mailasail.

 This was the cold enroute Hampton

 

 

It was there we joined the Salty Dawg Rally.

 

Some eighty yachts sailed.

We left early and went down the coast around Cape Hatteras where we encountered bad weather.

So rather than go direct to the Bahamas we elected to sail down the coast and finally arrived at West Palm Beach where we made our USA landfall back in April.

 

Of the main fleet which departed a few days later and which ran into extreme conditions in the Gulf Stream, one broke up and sank, its crew being lifted off by Coast Guard helicopter, three more were dismasted and four lost their rudders.

 

 So we were happy to have opted to go coastal.

Here is our new bow sprit.

 

 At West Palm Beach we renewed our acquaintance with the Tiki Bar

 

 As usual there was work to be done aloft.

 

 Then we set off for Marsh Harbour in the Abaco Islands.

By now the weather was more civilised.

 

 There we met Sue and Jim and because the weather again was forecast to be uncooperative, we rented a fast boat and toured the nearby cays

 

 Guana Cay

 

 Nippers Beach Bar

 Man o War Cay

 

 Lubbers landing

 

 We visited Sandra and Robert`s house on Elbow Cay.

 

 And later beautiful Hopetown, though the weather was not all that good.

 

 From the Abacos we sailed south to Eleuthera Is where we entered Hatchet Bay Harbour  thru a very narrow channel and where we sheltered from the wind for a few days.  Later a small tanker and a large passenger ferry came thru the same channel and one departed in pitch dark, so our trepidation on entry was entirely misplaced.

 

 The town was not all that interesting.

 

 Then we sailed down to Georgetown where we had spent a few days back in April.

Here the locals came to visit and spent a long time playing among people swimming around their yachts in the anchorage.

 

 The lovely Bahamas colours apparent.

Rig of the day now: bikinis and budgie smugglers.

 

 Our routine is to dinghy ashore in the evening to the Chat & Chill beach bar

 

 

 JT at anchor just offshore

 

Though it may not seem so from this photo, we have met lots of fellow cruisers, most of whom are staying here for the season {you would if you were from Canada}.

We are waiting for the wind to cooperate and allow us a civilised sail south to Cuba and Jamaica.

The main consideration is the Windward Passage between Haiti and Cuba which is notoriously windy.

At present it is living up to it`s reputation and we will wait until conditions suit.

In the meantime, there are worse places to be weather bound!



The Downhill Run begins - sort of.

After along flight from Oz we worked like slaves to antifoul the hull and after a few days were ready for the water.

 

 

 We went to the Deltaville Boatyard where we had organised major maintenance work to be done.

Even though we had liaised for the previous month it proved too difficult to set in motion without significant delays to our schedule.

 

 

 

So, we abandoned Deltaville and set sail for Hampton at the southern end of the Chesapeake Bay.

By now the cold weather had arrived.  7degC in the cabin on waking and scraping ice from the windscreen of the car.

 

After an overnight anchorage at an inlet at the mouth of the Poquoson R we arrived at our marina in Hampton.

 

 

There the boatyard immediately sprang into action and we now have a new bowsprit, a new refrigerator and have had a MAJOR service of the engine.

So, despite the internal chaos which nearly drove the First Mate to despair, all is again tidy aboard JT and we are almost ready to depart with the other 120 yachts in the Salty Dawg Rally when the weather suits. We will make for the Abacos Islands in the northern Bahamas.